by Matt Johnson
Note that's round trip. (Acela capacity is 304 pax per train.)
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SouthernRailway wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:47 pm So the new nonstop Acela is running at only about 50% of capacity. Not great.They're probably running light on one or more days of the week. "Average" is the key phrase here. Amtrak is giving itself time to experiment with this service to see how it fits in the demand pattern.
SouthernRailway wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:03 pmBut if any Amtrak service is like a plane (for determining load factors), it's the Acela Nonstop. One origin and one destination for everyone.I don't think they have enough data yet to effectively revenue manage this service. One year is a start but two years is what you really need to understand the baselines. This is particularly true with passenger travel because of seasonal shifts in demand and the specific political and business cycles of Washington-New York.
So this is the one service for which Amtrak should be able to sell every seat, at the right price.
dgvrengineer wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:16 pm It is also probable that the non-stop Acela is taking some passengers from the regular Acelas which opens up some of those seats on trains that may be sold out on some days. Thus generating more revenue.right but as a Philadelphia passenger I'd prefer to be on the 430 to either the 4 or 5 pm thus filling more seats on the 430 pm time slot. by adding Philadelphia they'd make more money.
rcthompson04 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:08 pm How much time would the train lose if it stopped Philly?Not much; I don't think they can exceed 30 mph or so through there even without stopping. But there's a cachet to "nonstop" which would be spoiled by adding a stop. Back when the Metroliners were introduced people would let a Regional go by and wait for a Metroliner (which would arrive at destination after the Regional!) because of the name.